What
if Neanderthal man, who co-existed with Homo sapiens up until approximately 35,000 years
ago, were still around today? What if they had managed to keep their culture hidden and
were in possession of technology that was far beyond our current capabilities? This is the
basic premise for Gary Franks new creator owned series, Kin.

Issue one introduces us to the ultra covert S.I.A. (Secret
Intelligence Agency?) who have discovered the existence of Homo sapiens neandertalensis in
Alaska. General Gaskell, the head of the S.I.A. sees them as a threat to national security
and has used this pretext to begin the process of wiping them out and stealing their
technology. A monkey wrench is thrown in the works when a forest ranger snowmobiling
through her territory discovers one of these Neanderthal men unconscious and bleeding from
a bullet wound to the head.

Frank does a good job of introducing the reader to the major players
in the series and ends with a cliffhanger that should bring you back for issue two. I
would have liked a little more actual prose but Gary Frank is an artist-writer so
its understandable that most of his story would be heavily cinematic.

I was skeptical when Gary Frank left illustrating Supergirl
for the wide world of creator-owned comics. But Kin is worth looking at if
youre a fan of beautiful art and an entertaining story.

You should still be able to find this issue on your local comic
shops shelves but if you cant write to Top Cow Productions, Inc., 10390 Santa
Monica Blvd., No. 110, Los Angeles CA, 90025. You can also visit the Top Cow web site at www.topcow.com.